Green Initiatives
Green Sand
Our “petro-bond” green sand system and molding process is a continuous recycling act. Following shakeout, the used sand is sent back to the sand muller and with minimal additives, it is ready again to produce additional molds. Of the approximate 100 tons of sand continually used on a daily basis, only a mere 200 lbs of new silica sand is required to be added to the system.
Core Sand
Currently all of our used core sand is transported from our facility to be used as landfill cover and road bed aggregate.
Additionally, we are in the process of implementing a no-bake core mold line with an ALpHASET® binder system. This resin binder is water based, rather than petrochemical solvents, which will dramatically reduce the amount of VOC and HAP emissions.
Aluminum
All of the aluminum that we process and pour, is shipped as a finished product or is re-melted to be utilized for subsequent
castings. Our aluminum alloys typically consist of 50% in-house return metal which includes all gates, risers, runner bars and floor returns along with the balance consisting of newly alloyed ingot. This controlled alloying process eliminates virtually all waste or aluminum alloy from reaching the landfill.
Lighting
The latest reduction in energy consumption came when Olson Aluminum Castings replaced the lighting system from high
pressure sodium bulbs to energy efficient metal halide providing brighter, whiter light with less wattage. The foundry will save 56,284 kWh annually, which equals enough energy to heat 5 homes per year and take 4 cars off the road per year.
Air Filtration
Our internal air filtration system and dust collection units continually filter the foundry environment of “dirty” airborne particulates and returns clean air to the facility during all hours of production.
Conserving Heat (Energy)
The foundry uses virtually no dedicated heating system. Heat generated during the melting process is utilized to heat the rest of the foundry during cooler months. Radiant heat from an adjacent heat treat furnace is used to keep the hot water quench tank in our heat treat process at an operating temperature of 170° F. Moreover, energy consuming operations such as furnaces, are controlled by programmed timers thereby limiting unnecessary, and wasteful demand on both natural gas and electricity.
